The Price
by akiyume kye
Summary: A painful past, an unknown future. Will Tezuka ever be able forgive himself? Or must he first learn how to forgive others? How far will he go to protect the one whom he loves most? Hints of RyoFuji, TezuFuji, TezuAto more to come.
1. Chapter 1: Bliss

**The Price**  
by akiyume kye  
**Disclaimer:** Not mine.  
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**Chapter 1: Bliss**

She was coming back.

Back to the place where she had lost herself.  
Back to face the person who had caused it all.

It was him.  
Tezuka Kunimitsu.  
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It had happened nearly 4 years ago, but the memory was still fresh in his mind.  
The guilt never left him.  
It haunted him.  
Day and night, night and day, it would come back to him.  
It would torment him. It would tear him apart.

He was responsible.  
And even up till now, the buchou was paying the price.  
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Prodigy, genius. A talent. There was no such thing as limitations for her.  
At the age of 7, she was already well-known for her uncountable victories.

Tezuka Kamito was a person to fear.  
A person to respect.  
A person who was almost unbeatable at her age.

Kamito was brought up in a famous tennis girls' school, and Tezuka, in a local Japanese school. Her talent was uprooted and soon, she rose above all expectations, beating her peers and regulars, the team captain, and eventually, her coach. She morphed through each match. No one could predict her next move. She had her opponents sealed with her capabilities.

Tezuka was her companion in tennis, because only he was able to provide her with the competition she needed. She was good, but he was better. And Kamito looked up to him for that. Brother and younger sister were close, and their bond was strong. Then, Tezuka was often in smiles when with Kamito. Both were always seen laughing together, enjoying each other's siblinghood.

It was bliss.  
It was perfect.

And perhaps, too perfect.  
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A penpal?

Kamito raised her eyebrow. She wondered what purpose it served.

A school project, they had mentioned, though she hardly paid any attention in her classes at all. Even her teachers were amazed at the academic success she had achieved despite her negligence toward her studies. "Prodigy in tennis, prodigy in everything", her teachers had said.

She tore open the envelope to reveal a flimsy piece of paper. On it was written the name of her penpal, and the email address.

Kamito was intrigued. The change was a thrill, and she wondered how the penpal relationship would turn out.

Turning towards her computer screen, she started typing out a letter to her penpal.  
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Tournaments came and went, with Kamito having won every single one of them.  
But there was someone she still couldn't beat, and that was Tezuka.

The desire to one day rise above her brother burned deeply within her.  
He knew it, and he accepted it.  
She was competitive, after all, and losing wasn't something she would come to terms with.

Kamito was good. And she was getting better day by day, training after training.

Through it all, Tezuka was by her side, supporting her, cheering her on.  
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"_I won in the semifinals today! It lasted longer than I'd imagined but still, it was fun! The finals are next week. Are you coming to cheer me on? I sure would like to meet you."_

The young blue eyed boy smiled.

_Saa, so do I._  
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The day of the female finals came quickly, and Kamito was ready. It was a big step that she would be taking in this match. After this, she could advance way beyond her region. And perhaps, in doing so, she could acquire the skills that she needed to beat Tezuka.

This tenacity kept her going.  
And she wouldn't give up.

Not until she could beat her brother.  
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The opponent wasn't any average player in that age group. She was gifted too, in her own special way.

Koshimizu Sasako- 7 years of age, was a prodigy that could probably match up to Kamito. No one could predict the result of the match, but both were confident in their own game.

Who would win? Who would lose?  
Tezuka was anxious to know.

His hazel brown eyes laid on Kamito. She was stretching, ready to meet her opponent head on. She looked over and met Tezuka's eyes. A small smile sealed off all uncertainties. She glanced to his side and gave Fuji a wave. It was the first time he would be watching her match after months of communication through emails.  
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Kamito marched confidently into the court.

After a brief handshake and a toss to decide the server, both girls made their way to their side of the court.

The atmosphere was tense.

It was Sasako's serve.  
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Kamito gripped her racket tight.

At the instant of impact, she could tell the type and direction of the serve. Responding immediately to that sound, she returned the fast serve without much difficulty.

The game went on.

0-15

0-30

0-40

Game: Kamito.

Sasako's habits, footwork, handgrip and style were all in Kamito's hand in just one game.  
Her analytical skills were superb, and she was quick to react.

3 games passed by and Kamito was leading in a love-game.

She could counter any attack thrown at her. Top spin, slice spin, smashes… Kamito was able to return them all. Her outstanding lead was worthy of praise, but it was hard work for the young girl. She could not afford to let her guard down for a second, because the prodigy facing her would exploit that loophole and win the point.

She had to admit.  
Sasako wasn't someone to be trifled with.

They were panting hard. An hour had passed by since the game had begun. In the humid, oppressive heat of the scorching sun, both girls were quickly worn out, but each refused to give in to the other.

If there was a winner, there would be a loser, and neither wanted to be the latter.

And so, the game wore on.

15-0

15 ALL

15-30…

Finally, it was the last game.

One more game and Kamito would have the victory.

**To be continued.**  
Do review. Don't think it's good. :p

**Next chapter:** Things go wrong and something bad happens to Kamito in the match. What happens? (Hopefully) you'll find out soon!


	2. Chapter 2: The Incident

**The Price  
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by akiyume kye

**Disclaimer:** Not mine.

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**Chapter 2: The Incident**

Fatigue had set in and her muscles were aching. She set on the bench and gulped down a bottle of mineral water, while half-listening to the advice that the coach was giving her. Her concentration span was approaching the limit.

"Kamito!" Tezuka called out from the bleaches. "Gambatte! One more game to go!"

She turned around and searched for her brother in the crowd of spectators. Kamito flashed her usual brilliant smile at him and gave him a thumbs up, despite how weary she felt.

But before anyone could react, a tennis ball was sent hurtling towards Kamito's head. At such a high speed, even Kamito could not react in time.

It hit her head hard, the impact sending her crashing straight into the wall surrounding the court.

Her head collided against the wall with a loud "thud".  
She fell limp onto the ground.

Her fists were clenched in an effort to control the pain.  
Her eyes were shut tight to prevent her tears from flowing.  
Her teeth bit into her lip as she tried to stop herself from screaming.

Tezuka was shouting her name frantically.  
Fuji was running towards her.

And blood was everywhere.

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The whole scene changed with that incident.  
The ambulance was called for, the stretcher rushed in, Kamito being carried away to the nearest hospital.

She was losing too much blood, and her life was in danger.

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Nagashiga Hisao stood stunned in the midst of it all.

He couldn't believe what he had witnessed. His best friend's sister had actually injured her opponent intentionally.

The bloodstains on the floor were not hard to miss, and Hisao grew sick by the sight of it. He was supposed to turn Sasako in. He was supposed to disqualify her from the match. He was supposed to deal with her sternly.

He was the referee.

But he couldn't.  
Not even for Kamito, whom he was of close acquaintance with.

Sasako had bribed him with her riches. He would be reduced to nothing if he refused to obey her orders.

Without her, he wouldn't have been able to survive. Without her, he'd be a nobody.  
This was the least he could do for Sasako, wasn't it?

So he dismissed the incident as an unfortunate accident, shocking all the spectators who had witnessed the entire situation. Angry shouts and curses were flung at Hisao as he declared Kamito not fit to continue in the game.

And by default, Sasako had "won".

She smirked. Then walked away haughtily.

The crowd booed and raged, but none of these mattered to her. As long as she could win, any means was possible. And the next thing she had to do was to shut the media up from revealing any information about the match.

Everything was in her hand.

She was in control this time.

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His shoes squeaked on the hospital floor. Pacing to and fro, he racked his hair messy with his hands, not knowing what else he could do.

If he hadn't called out to her, Kamito would have noticed the danger coming.  
If he wasn't there, she wouldn't have been injured.  
If he didn't exist, she would never have come into this situation.

But it was his fault. His action.  
That brought things to where they were.

Kamito had suffered a deep cut in her head and the bleeding still had not subsided.  
As he trembled outside the operating theater, Tezuka fervently prayed that Kamito would be safe.

Fuji stood by at the side, motionless, silently taking in the events of the day.  
Tears were brimming in the eyes of the young boy, and his ever present smile had vanished.

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"Why did you do that?"

Sasako looked up.

"Leave it alone. I do what I want to do. And I'll do anything to win."

"Win? What kind of 'win' was that supposed to be? How could you?" Hisao lashed out at her.

Anger flashed in her eyes. Sasako scowled, and called out rudely for her butler.  
"Koji! Throw him out now!"

He was pushed out of her mansion before he had a chance to retort.

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And so it was.

No media report about the finals. No newspaper or magazine revealing any information regarding that fateful match.  
Sasako had done her job well in sealing all possible sources.

But Kamito continued to lie in the hospital bed, unmoving.

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Leafing through the thick pile of pamphlets placed before them, Tezuka's parents let out a laboured sigh.  
There was no other way out.

Kamito had to be sent to a reknown hospital in Germany for the treatment of her near fatal injury.

Tezuka couldn't speak. He had never been apart from his sister before, and he didn't want to let her go.

But he had brought this upon her.  
And he had to pay the price.

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They had relatives in Germany who were willing to take care of Kamito once she finished her treatment there. The Tezukas henceforth left the girl in the care of her distant aunt.

The memory of the incident was too much for them to bear and the family moved to another state in Japan, right where Seishun Gakuen was.  
And there, Tezuka was enrolled for junior high schooling.

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He didn't know why, but after everything that had happened, he still chose to take up tennis once again. It was a part of him that couldn't be replaced.

Tennis was his life. As much as it was for Kamito.  
But he had robbed her of her passion and being.

The guilt never left, even though he was not to be blamed.  
After all, it was the scheming mind of young Sasako that left Kamito in that state.

When he stepped into Seigaku, his face was stoic and emotionless. Every emotion had been ripped off his face. He entered, a silent young boy who seemed to have no feelings whatsoever.

There, he began tennis again.  
There, he put aside his memories and pain.

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The moment Fuji saw Tezuka, the incident was revived.  
The very incident that he wanted to forget forever was back.

Tezuka was in the same school as he was, much to his surprise.  
But he understood.  
He understood the grief, the torment that Tezuka had gone through.

There was an unsaid mutual agreement between them, and neither brought up the incident ever again.

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Fuji stepped into his house one day after school and saw his parents deep in discussion with Tezuka's parents about something. Frowning, he wondered what it was.

Just as he was about to go up to his room, his parents called out to him.  
"Fuji, come here. We have something to discuss with you."

The young tensai nodded and followed.

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_2 years later:_

She gave the stewardess a wide smile and politely thanked her for the drink.

Looking out of the airplane window, she could see Japan coming into view. Smile never leaving her face, she wondered how the days to come would turn out.

Excitement boiled in her heart, and she could hardly wait.

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"Minna-san, there's a new student who'll be joining our class today. Do welcome her."

Ryoma's teacher ushered in a pretty brown-haired girl. She wasn't shy like Sakuno, but neither was she like the overbearing Tomoko. Smiling politely at her classmates, she introduced herself.

"Konnichiwa, minna-san. I'm Kamito."

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Horio was sulking at the corner of the classroom even though it was break time. Ryoma looked at him indifferently, and appreciated the silence he got instead of the mindless rantings of the other boy.

"It's not fair! Echizen! I want to change places with you!" Horio complained.

_So much for peace_, Ryoma thought to himself.  
"Ii yadda."

Horio raved on for several minutes more until he realized that Ryoma was fast asleep. Frustrated, he marched out of the classroom.

Peeking through one open eye to see if the noisy boy was gone, Ryoma sat back up. He was amused by Horio. The new girl in class had been asked to sit beside Ryoma, and not only so, she was assigned to do duty with him that day. He had to show her around, but actually, he didn't mind doing so.

There was something different about her that set her apart from the other girls that he'd met in Seigaku. She was, well, special. And he just couldn't put a finger to what it was that he felt different in Kamito.

Ryoma could tell that Horio instantly fell for the newcomer the moment he saw her, and seeing him getting all the opportunities to be with her, Horio grew jealous.

He glanced around, but Kamito wasn't back yet. She had rushed off when the bell had rung and Ryoma could swear that he had seen her going off with Fuji Syuusuke.

He felt a stab in his heart.  
One, that he had grown familiar to in the past few weeks.

_It's over, it's over. Don't think about it anymore._  
Ryoma chanted to himself over and over again.

The young tennis club regular then dismissed the subject, and continued with his slumber.

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Ryusaki sensei looked out and saw them approaching the office.

She grinned, wondering what the others' reactions will be to the change she was offering them.

**To be continued…**  
How was the chapter? Do review!  
By the way, did I get it right? Is it Tomoko or Tomo-something?

KatrinaKaiba: The first chapter took place before Tezuka entered Seigaku, so yup, he wasn't a buchou yet. :)

Next chapter: Ryusaki sensei has to go off for a long seminar and what else but to have a temporary coach in her place? Now who could that be?


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